New cover check!! It's technically still a wip but i haven't had any damn time on my hands because school is kicking my ass womp womp

𓆱❀𓆱

I cracked open my eyes to the familiar shine of fluorescent-white lights. A dull pounding filled my head, and my chest tightened as if it were being crushed under the weight of a mountain. "Ah, good, you're awake," called the voice of Recovery Girl. She shone a little flashlight in my face, and satisfied, she retreated with a firm nod. "How do you feel?"

I sucked a breath into my aching chest, pushing myself upright. "Like shit." I rubbed my jaw, wincing as my fingers ran across the tender skin. Of course Bakugo had an insane left hook. I was pleasantly surprised to see I didn't lose any teeth.

"Here, gummy." I popped Recovery Girl's little supplements into my mouth while the nurse prattled on, waddling between the nursery bed and her desk. "Your vitals are all good. You had a minor concussion and a boxer's fracture in your hand. I treated the concussion and the break, but it'll be a bit sore for some time. Avoid agitating that knuckle for a few days."

With the flex of my fingers, I saw the throbbing pain in my hand had subsided to a dull ache.

"You're the last person I'd expect to get a fracture from a poorly thrown punch" Recovery girl said, wryly. "Do I want to see the other guy?"

Bakugo had already been slightly treated at the start of our fight, I recalled. I shifted awkwardly on the bed. "I think you already have"

Recovery Girl's brows raised, the wrinkles around her eyes creasing. "...Ah. I see. I take it he deserved it?"

I fiddled with a little hole torn in the gym uniform. "A little, maybe?"

Her bright yellow gloves tightened around her cane as she jabbed it in my direction and featured toward the door. "Very well! Out with you, now. If you hurry, you should be in time to make the awards ceremony."

I followed her directions to a wide basement room beneath the stadium. Crew members bustled about with large cameras hoisted on their shoulders and thick black cables carted underarm. I was ushered and directed to a podium surrounded with big gears and machinery. Tokoyami and Todoroki were already on their podiums, along with... Good god, what the hell did they do to Bakugo? Is he chained to that thing?

I climbed onto the second place podium moments before the machinery whirred to life. The ceiling parted in two and light spilled in through the gap as we were pushed up out of the ground. I shielded my vision with my hand. At my side, Bakugo started flailing against his restraints.

"He's like a man-eating fiend..." murmured Tokoyami. I went to sigh, but a piece of shiny plastic confetti got stuck in my throat. I sputtered, coughing it back up.

"These things are a damn safety hazard..."

Before me stretched the field of the sports festival. A crowd of paparazzi stood behind a temporary gate, snapping photos and recording live for television. I hoped none of them caught me eating confetti on camera. "Now, we will award the medals!" said Midnight. "The presentation of the medals will, of course, be by this man..."

A booming laugh echoed from the stadium roof as All Might stepped into view. He leapt to the ground before the paparazzi, shaking the arena floor. "I have brought the medals here!"

At the same time, Midnight called, "U.A.'s very own All Might!" Flustered about interrupting him, she stumbled through her introduction. "N-now then, All Might, please present the medals, starting with third place."

The larger-than-life hero draped the first medal over Tokoyami's head. "Young Tokoyami, congratulations. You sure are strong."

"You are too kind."

The pro hero pulled Tokoyami in for a hug, which resulted in Tokoyami's big yellow beak being wedged in his armpit. "However, in order to train well against different types, you must not rely on only your Quirk. If you train your own strength more, then you'll have more options when you fight."

"As you wish sir," replied the bird-boy, formally.

"Young Todoroki," All Might continued, stepping to the third-place podium. "Congratulations. I assume there is a reason you did not use your left side in the semifinal?"

Todorki's gaze was trained on his feet. "I had an opportunity during my match with Midoriya, but then I became unsure of myself. I think I understand a little of why you are interested in him." His fists clenched at his sides. "I wanted to become a hero like you. But I didn't think it would be right for me to be the only one to break away. There is still something I must settle."

I trained my eyes ahead, pretending like I couldn't hear. I smiled at a couple of the paparazzi cameras and stuck up a couple peace-signs. Something to settle... I wondered what, or who, Todoroki was talking about.

"The look on your face is completely different from before," All Might said rather proudly. He pulled Todoroki, too, into a hug. "I won't ask about the details. I am sure you'll be able to do what you need to do."

"I will."

All Might stepped before me next, holding a gleaming silver medal in his fist. "Young Akiharu!" he said, flashing a commercial smile. "Congrats on making it to the finals. You sure are strong!" The hug the Number One hero engulfed me in smelled strongly of sweat and old spice, but oddly, not in a bad way. I had always been pretty tall, but he was massive in every definition of the word. And insanely warm. Not like a fire, or a stove, not like a thick, fluffy blanket or even sunlight. Because, even in the warmest places, it always felt like cold was just out of reach. Rather than warm, in that moment All Might's hug made me feel like being cold was an impossibility, even for just a moment.

Must be all those muscles.

"I won't ask why you threw the match," he said in a hushed, low tone. "I understand you have a lot on your mind. I am always available to talk."

When he pulled away, he flashed another blinding smile. "You'll make a fine hero. Keep pursuing greater heights!"

A sudden shiver ran up my spine in the absence of his warmth. I dipped my head politely. "Thank-you, sir."

The hero stepped onto Bakugo's podium next, and boy, it was a sight. "Now then, young Bakugo! This is... too much. Good job doing what you said you would during the pledge!" He pulled the muzzle off of Bakugo's face and stifled a snort. Bakugo's scowl was... world-changing.

"All Might..." The boy's voice was hoarse from all of the yelling, leaking with hatred from each baleful tremble. "First place like this... It's not worth anything! Even if the world recognizes it, if I don't recognize it myself, then it's trash! I want a rematch!"

"...Right," said All Might. "In this world where people are constantly being compared publicly, there are not many who can keep aiming for the top of an unchanging scale. As for a rematch..." His eyes slid to me, and I quickly glanced away. "Well, perhaps next year. For now, take this medal! Think of it as a wound, so you never forget!"

"I said I don't want it!" Bakugo snapped, but All Might still tried to hang it around his neck. They struggled and fought, and in the end, the strap snapped around Bakugo's jaw, clenched between his grinding teeth.

"Well, they were the winners this time!" All Might said, beckoning the paparazzi. "Now remember, anyone could have ended up on these podiums. It's just as you saw: Competing, improving each other, and climbing even higher! The next generation of heroes is definitely sprouting. With that, I have just one more thing to say. Everyone, please say it with me. Ready, go!"

While the crowd shouted, "Plus Ultra!" All Might instead said, "Thanks for your hard work!"

The stadium filled with boos. "It should've been Plus Ultra there, All Might!"

"Well, I thought everyone worked hard..."

𓆱❀𓆱

Back in class, Aizawa gave a couple of closing remarks, congratulated everyone, and informed us we had tomorrow off of school. Everyone went for their bags and started toward the door, myself included.

"Akiharu," Aizawa called from the lectern. "Please stay behind for a minute."

I lingered by the door until everyone left, avoiding his gaze. "What do you want?"

Aizawa's feet shuffled across the floor until they appeared before me. His arm raised to the air until it thumped onto my head. "You worked hard," he said, quietly but too soft to be his usual grumble. "I'm proud of you."

My nose crinkled as I continued staring at his feet. "You said you'd be proud either way."

"I did," he snorted. "That doesn't mean I meant it."

"Asshole."

He tucked his arms back to his chest. I could feel his gaze through the thick bandages wrapped around his face. I could tell he was confused, and more concerned than he was frustrated. "Why did you hesitate?" he asked. "You had Bakugo right where you wanted him."

My knuckles whitened around straps of my bag. I could feel my throat clench with that gnawing, horrible fear. It was a different fear than I felt during USJ – a fear for the safety of my friends and mentors. It was the fear that swathed my whole life in anxiety, in the cold. "Something weird's going on with my Quirk," I admitted, in a voice so quiet it hardly sounded like me.

After years of knowing him, Aizawa's sharp intake of breath revealed a lot: Concern. Confusion. Fear. "Did you tell anyone, – The Chairwoman?"

"No. It only happened right before the match, and..." My gaze slid to the side. I scratched at my neck. My stomach churned like a hurricane picking up speed. The events of the day crept back into my mind, sowing little seeds of doubt. Who could I trust? "I... I'm not sure I'll tell the Chairwoman," I said, quietly Carefully. It was unlike me. "At least, not until some things blow over. I think... I think the Commission's been hiding some things from me."

Aizawa took another breath. This one was less sharp. It came after a brief hesitation. In response, he spoke only two brief, acknowledging words. "I see."

He didn't sound surprised.

My eyes snapped up. The seeds sprouted dark, gnarled roots of distrust. "You knew?"

Aizawa rubbed his head with his cast as his eyes slid away from mine. "I had my suspicions."

I could feel those black roots twist and grow within me, knotting around my stomach, coiling around my throat. "Why didn't you say anything?" I said, a slight tremble creeping into my voice.

Aizawa grumbled tiredly. "It was just speculation – I could tell the Commission was hiding something, but not what. Hearing Shigaraki say that name only helped to confirm it."

"You didn't say anything." My voice was gnarled as the roots, squeezed until it came out pitched and angry.

"I brought Shigaraki's words up to the Chairwoman, looking for answers," Aizawa said gently, as though I were a landmine he was trying not to set off. "She avoided the question. Later, I saw you'd left it out of the report. I figured it was best I didn't bring it up again."

"I kept it out of the report for a reason!" I snapped. His careful tone was pissing me off – this wasn't something I would let him rationalize. "I wasn't trying to forget, I wanted to look into it without them meddling – You ruined that!"

"The entire commission is my boss," stated Aizawa, too calmly. "I'm obligated to be honest with them. Especially the Chairwoman."

It was instant. 

I killed Trust, and in its place sprouted Betrayal.

"Stupid." I muttered to myself, sharply. "I thought I meant more to you than following orders."

I slammed the door and walked briskly down the hall. I could feel those boxes and boxes of thoughts and feelings I kept organized so neatly start to topple, pouring out their contents. There was too much. 

It was too much.

I noticed my phone was buzzing against my thigh. I ignored it, only for it to start ringing again. On the third ring, I put it to my ear without checking the contact."Haru! You finally picked up! I tried to reach you as soon as I saw you called, but you were in the middle of a match. What's–"

"Adamus," I interrupted, my voice hoarse. "Did you know?"

Soft static on the other line. A brief hesitation. "I only learned of them after I graduated the program," Hawks said. "Why?"

"Did you ever think I might be related to them, somehow?"

"Haru, your Quirk is similar to theirs, but you don't look anything like them," he reasoned, dancing around the question. "The Adamus family was known for retaining very similar features across the bloodline–"

"Did you ever think I might be related to them," I repeated, bitterly.

Hawks exhaled, dropping his ever-cheerful attitude. "I... I might have considered it."

At least my murder of Trust was vindicated. "Why didn't you say anything?" I said, my voice tight and weary. My eyes stung with more salty tears I thought I was too parched to have.

"It was just speculation. I didn't want to get your hopes up – The Chairwoman said there were no DNA matches in the system..."

"And you believed her?" I choked.

Silence.

I hung up.

𓆱❀𓆱

I pulled the door to my room open and set my bag down on my bed. I flopped down beside it, staring up at the ceiling.

Even if I did get the guts to question the Commission, no one would admit anything without proof. Not after going this far to hide it from me. Interrogating them without anything to back it up would only be cited as acting out. I'd get punished — Maybe taken out of U.A..

I shot to my feet, breathing raggedly. I felt like I was suffocating in this damn room. My eyes met Endeavor's scowling face on the wall, his piercing aqua eyes boring into me. "I was one of the first on scene of that incident."

His unspoken words echoed from the pits of my stomach. 'I know what you've done.'

I grabbed at the poster and ripped it off the wall.

I threw the matching duvet off of the bed and toppled the shelf, scattering Endeavor figurines and magazine covers and framed photos across the concrete floor. I ripped the remaining posters from the walls and stormed into the washroom, slamming the door. Even the shower curtains were printed with little chibi heroes. I ripped it off the hooks and tossed it into the tub. With nothing left to destroy, I slid down the door, grasping my hair in my fists.

Most people could recall memories from as early as three years old. For me, there was nothing. I knew my memories probably had nothing good – The nightmares, the hazy flashbacks and the persistent dread were proof of that. Every happy moment felt fickle, as if someone might come tear it out of my hands – of course they couldn't be good, but those memories were a part of me. I was desperate to understand. Where had I come from? Who had I known? What led to that disaster? Why did I forget it all?

Adamus.

The Chairwoman had to know. I couldn't understand why she had kept it from me. If there really were a family of heroes in my blood... What could be better? Was it just a manipulation tactic? Or was there something more going on? I'd expected deception from the Commission, but Aizawa? Keigo?

I shot to my feet and pushed open the door with a reckless urgency. I didn't know where I was going.

I just knew I had to get out.

𓆱❀𓆱

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